payroll

Definition

  • noun: a list of the people who work for a company and the amount of money that the company has agreed to pay them
  • noun: a paymaster's or employer's list of those entitled to pay and of the amounts due to each
  • often used before another noun
  • synonyms: base pay, compensation, dismissal wage

Examples

  • She's in charge of the company's 'payroll' department. [=the department that is responsible for paying employees]

  • Businesses are keeping their 'payrolls' low by embracing new technologies.

  • He's the manager of a baseball team with a $50 million 'payroll'.

Movie clips

Movie quotes

  • (..) in drugs, a dishonest cop. A cop who got mixed up in the rackets and got what was coming. That's a terrific story. We have newspaper people on the payroll, right? - They might like a story like that. - They might. It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business. It's as cold as they come. (..)
    1972 The Godfather
  • (..) Do me a favour. No more advice on how to patch things up. Just help me win. I found out about Captain McCluskey, who broke Mike's jaw. He's definitely on Sollozzo's payroll, and for big money. McCluskey has agreed to be The Turk's bodyguard. So when Sollozzo is being guarded, he's invulnerable. (..)
    1972 The Godfather